Socket structure for casters.



J. A. JOHNSON.

SOCKET STRUCTURE FOB CASTERS.v

'APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27.*1916. T.Qso Mmm July 10, 19W.

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JOHN ADOLPH JOHNSON, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO M. '.B.SCHENCK COMPANY, 0F MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

SOCKET STRUCTURE FOR CASTERS. f

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1917.

' Application filed November 27, 1916. Serial No. 133.669.

To aZZ whom t may concern:

, Be it known that I, JOHN ADOLPH JormsoN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at the city of Meriden, county -of New Haven, State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Tmprovements 1n SocketStructures for Casters; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to furniture casters, but more particularly hasreference to the socket structure which is secured to a piece offurniture preparatory to receiving the pintle of the caster.

In socket casters it is desirable that the pintle shall rotate butwithout producing any disagreeable noise, that the end and lateralthrusts of the pintle shall be noiseles's and accompanied by a minimumWear, and that there shall be'no loosening of parts due to constant useof the caster.

The first two of these ends aimed at have been heretofore accomplishedin a great measure by providing anti-friction blocks at the top of thesocket to withstand the end thrust of the pintle, and also b providinganti-friction rings around the ase of the piii'tle to take the lateralthrust of the pintle.

But unless the parts are assembled and so united in one rigid structureas to successfully reinforce the resistance of the thrusts and strainsof the pintle, the caster p as a whole becomes in a short time shaky andwabbly with a decidedl tendency to produce disagreeable noises as thefurniture is shifted or moved about.

It is the especial object of the present invention to so assemble andrigidly unite together the several elements ofthe socket structure thatthe above noted disadvan# tages cannot be present, thus not onlycontributing to the efficiency but to the durableness of the caster.

Referringto the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a sectional elevationof my improvement, as a whole, applied to a piece of furniture, and

Fig. 2 a series of elevations, partly in section, showing the separateparts, which,

in assembled condition, constitute my improved socket structure.

Similar numerals of reference denote like parts in the several figuresof the drawing.

Inthe first place, it is considered of the greatest importance that theusual trackplate and cup member should be primarily rigidly unitedtogether and that said plate should inclose the cup and parts containedtherein, so as to exclude all dust and foreign matter. Therefore, thebottom or floonl of the track-plate 2 has a central openlng 3 that isbounded by a` Wall 4, so as to provide a hollow inwardly extending openhub 5. A cup member 6 with its bottom or floor level and having acentral opening 7 of such size as to snugly embrace the hub 5 is thenplaced within the part 2 and the upper edge of said hub is forcedoutwardly and downwardly firmly against the bottom of this member 6,after the manner of eyelet setting.

This gives, in effect, two concentric and spaced apart cups that aresubstantially integral, so that each will contribute to the resisting ofany strains that might be brought to bear by virtue of a caster pintleextending therethrough.

8 is a ring of any suitable anti-friction material, such as vulcanizedfiber, which is fitted snugly within the i member (i, and whose innercircumference extends slightly into the passageway for the pintle, thisring being seatediirmly against the bottomof closed in at the top asshown at 10 to afford Ia shoulder to retain one or more disks 11 ofanti-friction material that are inserted at the bottom of the socket andpushed upward to the top thereof.

At the bottom of the socket is an outwardly extending flange 12, andwithin the socket is housed a tubular tapered spring 13 which has aflange 14 at its bottom that underlies the flange 12. The object of theflange 14 is merely to keep the spring in po-l sition, but since this isa very' immaterial part of the structure and one which may be omitted ormodified in various ways, T

plate 2, member 6, ring 8, and socket 9, are

not only all rigidly secured together as an unitary structure, but thatthe 1nter1or of the member 6 and socket 9 are dust proof.

is the caster pintle having a lower enlargement 16 as a journal tocontact the ring 8, and an upper enlargement 17 to contact theanti-friction element 11, and 18 is a circumferential shoulderintermediate the ends for engagement with the tubular spring 13 when thepintle is inserted in the socket.

The load -is carried by the top of the pintle which bears against thematerial 11, while the lateral strains are exerted against the ring 8.

It will therefore be clear that these lati i eral strains will beresisted both by the track-plate and by the member 6 and that no strainwhatever is placed upon the main body portion of the track-plate.Moreover, whatever strain is placed upon the trackplate is directed to apart of the latter which is reinforced by the clamping of the walls ofthe hub 5 against the ioor of the member 6.

The construction thus aforded is capable of withstanding thel roughestusage, and cannot be disrupted or loosened, so far as its practicalintegrality is concerned, by vertical or lateral strains.

The pintle is secured to the usual horn 19 within which the roller 20 isjournaled in the usual manner.

What is claimed is:-

1. A furniture caster socket, comprising a track Vplate and a ycupshaped member primarily rigidly secured together, an antifriction ringsnugly fitting within said member, and a pintle socket having a bottomflange supported within said member upon said ring and secured bybending and clamping the edge Aof said Amember against said flange.

2. A furniture caster socket, comprising ment contained within saidsocket, a track plate having a centrally disposed and inwardlyprojecting open hub, a cup shaped 4 member seated on sa1d plate andhaving an openlng which snugly surrounds said hub the end of whichlatter is bent and clamped against the ioor of said member, and ananti-friction ring seated within said member, said socket flange seatedon said ring and the upper edge of said member bent and firmly clampedagainst said flange, whereby al1 the aforesaid parts will form a unitarystructure. 4. In a furniture caster socket, a track plate havingprojecting upwardly therefrom and centrally located an'open hub, and acup shaped member perforated to snugly embrace said hub and resting uponthe Hoor of said plate and secured thereto by forcing the upper edge of.said hub outwardly and downwardly against-the Hoor of said member.

5. A furniture caster socket, comprising a track plate and cupmemberprimarily rigidly secured together and 'having coinciding centralopenings for the caster pintle, an anti-friction ring' snugly seated tinsaid member and adapted to afford -a bearing for W. .-A. SGHENCK, p H.-WAGEMAN.

pintle, said

